Tunis (dpa) – Three Tunisian journalists appeared before a judge Thursday after being arrested for publishing a racy photograph of German footballer Sami Khedira and his girlfriend on the front page of their newspaper. The publisher, editor and a reporter from the Arabic-language Ettounsia daily were arrested on Wednesday over the image, which shows the Real Madrid midfielder posing with his hand covering the breasts of his German girlfriend Lena Gercke. Gercke, a model, appears naked in the picture. The photograph, which is the cover image of the current edition of GQ men's magazine, has been widely circulated on the internet. Ettounsia ran the photograph on Wednesday. The state prosecutor's office said they faced charges of offending public decency. On Thursday afternoon, the judge released the reporter but remanded the publisher and editor in custody. Several Tunisian journalists gathered outside the courthouse in Tunis on Thursday to protest their arrests, which they called an attack on freedom of expression. Security around the newspaper's offices had been stepped up after several journalists said they had received death threats over the photograph. Offending public decency carries a sentence of between six months and five years in prison and a fine of between 120 dinars (79 dollars) and 1,200 dinars. The case will be closely watched for signs of growing conservatism in Tunisia, where a moderate Islamist party Ennahda was swept to power in democratic elections last year, replacing the regime of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/6fnva Tags: Journalists, Pictures, Sami Khedira Section: Latest News, Media, Tunisia
